I second The Great Courses photography courses - use the streaming option rather than buying the courses to keep it more affordable unless you want to keep the course(s) forever. Joel Sartore's Photography courses were the best, but Tim Laman and other photogs had good courses too. I don't remember which course it was, but I didn't understand something, e-mailed the instructor and actually got an answer within a day or two from a top Nat Geo photog. I was impressed. :)

Other than that, keep shooting. Be very critical of your own photos and try and improve on what you're critical of. For example, I just got a nifty 50 f1.8 lens. I'm shooting Aperture priority to keep it on 1.8 in the low light of a hospital room for a photo of brand new grandbaby with his parents. Grandbaby's eyes are totally in sharp focus, the mom & dad are a touch out of focus. Don't know if there's a way to fix that without making the aperture too small for the low light... always something new to learn!

Good luck & enjoy!!!

Thanks Linda & WD ... I changed from a Canon EOS T6i to a Sony A7iii in May. This was taken with the Sony A7iii, a Sigma MC11 adapter and my old Sigma 120-400 lens.

I'm looking forward to exploring more areas of the site - thanks Linda for the insights!

Cheers! Jan

I'm relatively new to UHH, but like the community. Here's my first attempt to post a photo...

(Download)

I enjoyed GuruShots for a few months. I got to be a Guru, only because a Guru selected my shot as the Guru Winner in a contest. Unfortunately GuruShots has nothing to do with the best photographs. It's definitely a game and the best at playing the game win - there are even a few blogs devoted to strategy to winning and upping your level. I happened to jump on the other day just to take a look and discovered that they've added Guru levels 1 through 7 since I quit playing. I guess they had too many Guru's so to entice that group to keep playing they added more levels.

I even enjoyed the "game" part until I realized that you had to select a contest that ended during daylight in the US - unless you want to set an alarm and wake up in the middle of the night to vote while a European, or other part of the world, wins. So many strategies that have nothing to do with selecting a really award winning photo. Then there's the buying the Swaps, Fills and Keys aspect of the game. I didn't buy, just used them as I was awarded them, but if you don't buy, I don't think you have much of a chance unless you devote too much time to the "game".

I tried ViewBug for awhile too - I didn't waste as much time on that one. Whatever you decide, enjoy!

I have the Aiii and compared to my Canon T7i, there is a dust issue. So far, luckily, the in camera sensor cleaning in combination with a large air blaster have resolved the issues. I haven't had the camera long enough to be changing lenses outdoors, so most of the time it's inside on my desk. I keep the body pointed down and swap quickly, same as I used to do with my Canon. For whatever reason, I believe the Sony just attracts more dust. But it's nothing I can't live with given the improvement in photo quality.

This should probably have been a separate question. Check with your cruise company. We're doing a Lindblad/NatGeo Alaska Wilderness cruise in 2020. They specify that knee high waterproof boots are required and offer a place that rents them ... for $70 they'll be delivered to our cabin & retrieved after the cruise. Ridiculous, said I.

We checked into buying our own. Price was good, but they are very bulky and weigh a ton. I think we'll opt to rent. Enjoy!

Love my Cotton Carrier. It is a bit bulky as others mentioned, but it leaves my hands free for hiking and even just changing lenses. I've used it for my Canon Rebel T7i and now my Sony A7iii. There are a couple of limitations. It won't work with my Sigma 120-400 lens - at least not on my body -- I'm 5'3". It won't work with any lens beyond my Canon 24-105 if I'm riding my bike for the same reason, limited area to fit when I'm bent over. I always attach the extra security strap so if I happen to miss getting it into the slot, it doesn't fall far. In multiple years, that's never happened, but I like the extra security. I've carried it all day long and on hikes as long as 15 miles over mountainous terrain. The only issue is that over time - long time and many ins & outs, the bottom connector will begin to loosen and then won't go in or come out of the base easily. It's easily alleviated by tightening every hour or two if I'm taking the camera off frequently. I keep the allen wrench in the little pocket on the front of the carrier so it's readily accessible. It was pricey when I bought it and has lasted and been worth every dime. I also have a shoulder strap I use for shorter "city" excursions, but I'm not a fan of the screw in bottom connector, but it's never failed in years. But the camera swings more & needs steadied alot if I'm hiking, not conducive to two free hands.

Hi newbie amateur here.

Back in May, I switched from years of Canon Rebels to a Sony A7iii. Like you I wanted either a 70-200 or 70-300 telephoto. We live 2-3 hours from the closest good camera shop. If you live close to a good camera shop, you could go put both lenses on your camera & at least get an idea of feel.

I chose to rent both lenses from LensRentals.com and test them head to head for a week. Both lenses were Sony. As I spend a lot of time hiking and exploring, I wanted something handholdable for an extended time. After shooting the same shots with both, I decided on the 70-200 F4 (I really wanted the F2.8, but weight and $$$$ convinced me to go for the F4). The 70-200 was sharper even though I had to crop, it focused quicker and was marginally smaller. I also liked the weather seal being inside rather than the extend zoom on the 300.

Just some thoughts on how I went about making a similar choice. Good luck!

Cheers!

WOW! On my photo bucket list. I liked them all, and LOVED #3. Thanks for sharing!